Freedom of speech

Ruben Bong, will appear before the Magistrates Court today, to face charges of cyber stalking.

It will be the first time Vanuatu's new cybercrime laws, which were passed last year, are tested in court.

Witnol Tor, a Facebook group moderator was also taken in by police in April with cyber stalking, cyber libel and cyber slander.

"They accused me of, that it was me who posted those things, I have no idea what they're talking about, about those fake accounts," he said.

Changes to the criminal libel and slander provisions of the South Pacific country’s Penal Code Act mean that Ni-Vanuatu could now face imprisonment for “any representation that is untrue or misleading” on public platforms including “television, radio, internet websites, social networking sites and blog sites”.

The amendments were passed by Vanuatu’s parliament on Monday and will become law once gazetted by the president.